• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.224-229
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• 2009

Human lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein with many biological activities, including the protection against microbial and virus infection and stimulation of the immune system. We introduced a human lactoferrin (hLf) cDNA under the control of 35S promoter into sweet potato by particle bombardment. Transgenic plants were regenerated via somatic embryogenesis. Transgenic plants were produced typical tuberous roots in soil. PCR, Southern and northern analyses confirmed that the hLf cDNA was incorporated into the plant genome and was properly expressed in plants. Western blot analysis showed that the 80 kDa full length hLf protein was produced in transgenic tuberous roots. Overall results indicated that sweet potato would be an excellent host to produce human therapeutic proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1737-1746
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• 2013

IbMYB1, a transcription factor (TF) for R2R3-type MYB TFs, is a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis during storage of sweet potatoes. Anthocyanins provide important antioxidants of nutritional value to humans, and also protect plants from oxidative stress. This study aimed to increase transgenic potatoes' (Solanum tuberosum cv. LongShu No.3) tolerance to environmental stress and enhance their nutritional value. Transgenic potato plants expressing IbMYB1 genes under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to as SM plants) were successfully generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Two representative transgenic SM5 and SM12 lines were evaluated for enhanced tolerance to salinity, UV-B rays, and drought conditions. Following treatment of 100 mM NaCl, seedlings of SM5 and SM12 lines showed less root damage and more shoot growth than control lines expressing only an empty vector. Transgenic potato plants in pots treated with 400 mM NaCl showed high amounts of secondary metabolites, including phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, compared with control plants. After treatment of 400 mM NaCl, transgenic potato plants also showed high DDPH radical scavenging activity and high PS II photochemical efficiency compared with the control line. Furthermore, following treatment of NaCl, UV-B, and drought stress, the expression levels of IbMYB1 and several structural genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis such as CHS, DFR, and ANS in transgenic plants were found to be correlated with plant phenotype. The results suggest that enhanced IbMYB1 expression affects secondary metabolism, which leads to improved tolerance ability in transgenic potatoes.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.363-369
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• 2015

Sweet potato has low regeneration capacity, which is a serious obstacle for the fruitful production of transgenic plants. Simple and rapid regeneration method from storage root explants of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) was investigated. The embryogenic callus was observed from 4 cultivars and its highest rate was induced at 1 μM 2,4-D after 5 weeks of culture. Result revealed that a low concentration of 2,4-D and low light intensity was important factors for embryogenic callus formation. After subculture on medium with 5 μM ABA for 4 days, subsequently, occurred the regeneration of shoots within 4 weeks when these embryogenic callus was transferred onto the MS hormone free medium. Regenerated shoots were developed into platelets, and grown normal plants in the greenhouse. We developed a simple and quickly protocol to regenerate plantlets in storage root explants of purple sweet potato. This regeneration system will facilitate tissue culture and gene transfer research of purple sweet potato.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.364-368
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• 2018

The R2R3-type protein IbMYB1 transcription factor is a key regulator for anthocyanin biosynthesis in the storage roots of sweet potatoes. It was previously demonstrated that the IbMYB1 expression stimulates anthocyanin pigmentation in tobacco leaves, arabidopsis and storage roots of sweet potatoes. In this study, we generated the transgenic potato plants that express the IbMYB1 genes, which accumulated high levels of anthocyanins under the control of either the tuber-specific patatin (PAT) promoter or oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase anionic 2 (SWPA2) promoter. The PAT-MYB1 transgenic lines exhibited higher anthocyanin levels in the tuber than the empty vector control (EV) or SWPA2-MYB1 plants. When combined, our results indicated that overexpression of the IbMYB1 is a highly promising strategy for the generation of transgenic plants with enhanced tissue specific anthocyanin production.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.265-269
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• 1999

Transgenic tobacco plants expressing either a sweet potato anionic peroxidase (POD) (swpal) or neutral POD (swpnl) were irradiated by gamma radiation, and the gamma radiation-induced biochemical changes in antioxidant enzymes and plant growth inhibition were investigated at 30 days after treatment. Gamma radiation significantly inhibited the growth of all plants regardless of transgenic or nontransformed plants, showing a dose-dependent inhibition. In high dosage of 50 and 70 Gy, plant heights were severely retarded and new leaves does not emerged. No significant changes in antioxidant enzymes such as POD, superoxide dismutase and catalase were observed in all plants regardless of irradiation dosages ranging from 10 to 50 Gy. These results suggest that sweet potato PODs may be not involved in the protection against the oxidative stress induced by gamma radiation.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.380-389
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• 2010

Transgenic herbicide-resistant sweet potato plants [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] produced through a biolistic transformation were used in this study. The objective of this research was to find out a rapid and reliable assay method for confirming glufosinate-ammonium resistance. The techniques tested include whole-plant bioassay, one leaf bioassay, and leaf disk bioassay. Parameters investigated in this study were leaf injury and ammonium accumulation at 1 and 5 days after treatment of glufosinate-ammonium. In the leaf disk bioassay, leaf injury of the transgenic line 7171 was 1.9-fold less affected by glufosinate-ammonium than the wild type. The leaf injury of 7171 in one leaf and whole-plant bioassays was 59- and 92-fold less affected by glufosinate-ammonium, respectively, compared with that of the wild type. Leaf disk, one leaf, and whole-plant bioassays showed that ammonium accumulation of the 7171 was 2 to 20-, 4 to 43-, and 6 to 115-fold less affected by 0.5-5 mM glufosinate-ammonium than that of the wild type. All three bioassays successfully distinguished the resistance from the transgenic lines, but one leaf bioassay is the simplest and quickest. Leaf injury and ammonium accumulation were the same in leaves 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 of 3 mM glufosinate-ammonium treated plants or nontreated plants. The one leaf bioassay was chosen as the standard procedure for future confirmation of resistance in transgenic sweet potato because it is a rapid and reliable assay.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1997.10b
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• pp.235.2-235
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• 1997

No Abstract, See Full Text

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.123-136
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• 2012

Diseases caused by begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae, genus Begomovirus) constitute a serious constraint to tropical and sub-tropical agro-ecosystems worldwide. In recent years, they have also introduced in temperate regions of the world where they have great impact and are posing a serious threat to a variety of greenhouse crops. Begomoviral diseases can in extreme cases reduce yields to zero leading to catastrophic losses in agriculture. They are still evolving and pose a serious threat to sustainable agriculture across the world, particularly in tropics and sub-tropics. Till recently, there have been no records on the occurrence of begomoviral disease in South Korea, however, the etiology of other plant viral diseases are known since last century. The first begomovirus infected sample was collected from sweet potato plant in 2003 and since then there has been gradual increase in the begomoviral epidemics specially in tomato and sweet potato crops. So far, 48 begomovirus sequences originating from various plant species have been submitted in public sequence data base from different parts of the country. The rapid emergence of begomoviral epidemics might be with some of the factors like evolution of new variants of the viruses, appearance of efficient vectors, changing cropping systems, introduction of susceptible plant varieties, increase in global trade in agricultural products, intercontinental transportation networks, and changes in global climatic conditions. Another concern might be the emergence of a begomovirus complex and satellite DNA molecules. Thorough understanding of the pathosystems is needed for the designing of effective managements. Efforts should also be made towards the integration of the resistant genes for the development of transgenic plants specially tomato and sweet potato as they have been found to be widely infected in South Korea. There should be efficient surveillance for emergence or incursions of other begomoviruses and biotypes of whitefly. This review discusses the general characteristics of begomoviruses, transmission by their vector B. tabaci with an especial emphasis on the occurrence and distribution of begomoviruses in South Korea, and control measures that must be addressed in order to develop more sustainable management strategies.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.39-44
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• 2000

To examine the chilling tolerance lipids, we compared the chilling susceptibility of photosystem II of wild type tobacco plants with that of transgenic tobacco plants, in which the sensitivity to chilling had been enhanced by genetic modification of fatty acid unsaturation of chloroplast membrane lipids. The transgenic tobacco plants were found to contain reduced levels of unsaturated membrane fatty acids by being tansformed with cDNA for glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from squash. For the purpose of studying on the functional integrity of photosystem II during low-temperature photoinhibition, the photochemical efficiency was measured as the ration of the maximun fluorescence of chlorophyll (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II. In parallel with an investigation on the transgenic plants, susceptibility of chilling-resistant species, such as spinah and pea, and of chilling-sensitive ones, such as squash and sweet potato, to low-temperature photoinhibition was also compared in terms of room temperature-induced chlorophyll fluorescence from photosystem II. When leaf disks from the two genotypes of tobacco plants were exposed to light at 5$^{\circ}C$, the transgenic plants showed more rapid decline in photochemical activity of photosysytme II than wild-type plants. When they were pretreated with lincomycin, an inhibitor of chloroplast-encoded protein synthesis, the extent of photoinhibition was even more accelerated. More impottantly, they showed a comparable extent of photoinhibition in the presence of lincomycin, making a clear contrast to the discrepancy observed in the discrepancy observed in the absence of lincomycin. Restoration of Fv/Fm during recovery from low-temperature photoinhibition occurred more slowly in the transgenic tobacco plants than the wild-type. These findings are discussed in relation to fatty acid unsaturation of membrane phosphatidylglycerol. It appears that the ability of plants to rapidly regenerate the active photosystem II complex from might explain, in part, why chilling-resistant plants can toleratlow-temperature photoinhibition.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2007

Environmental stress is the major limiting factor in plant productivity. As an effort to solve the global food and environmental problems using the plant biotechnology, we have developed transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plants via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer method. To develop transgenic tall fescue plants with enhanced tolerance to the environmental stresses, both CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) genes were incorporated in a pIG121 binary vector and the both of the genes were controlled separately by an oxidative stress-inducible sweet potato peroxidase 2 (SWPA2) premoter expressed in chloroplasts. Leaf discs of transgenic plants showed 10-30% less damage compared to the wild-type when they exposed to a wide range of environmental stresses including methyl viologen (MV), $H_2O_2$ and heavy metals. In addition, when $200{\mu}M$ MV was sprayed onto the whole plants, transgenic plants showed a significant reduction of visible damage compared to wild-type plants that were almost damaged. These results suggest that over expression of CuZnSOD and APX genes in transgenic plants might be a useful strategy to protect the crops against a wide range of environmental stresses.